The Lightning Thief: Andromeda Jackson Book One
by crimson and bare
Summary: Discontinued for the foreseeable future.
1. Just Plain Andi Jackson

_**I'm sure a billion people have done this before, but I just want to try it. The first chapter is very similar but the rest will be different, just because she has the same background as him when she goes in. So here you are, girl Percy's story.**_

I didn't sit down for Christmas and write 'Dear Santa, I have been a good girl this year and I would absolutely love to be a demigod'. It wasn't my choice on any level.

If you happen to be reading this story because you think it's in any way possible you might be a halfblood (and not the Harry Potter kind) my advice is to close this book right now. I tell you now just to believe the lies and stay in your normal life. Knowing will just make you unsafe and more importantly, a tasty snack for monsters.

If you think this is a delicious bit of fiction you picked up with your girlfriends at Borders, then I suppose you can read on. I envy you deeply for being able to believe that nothing in these ivory pages ever happened. Lucky you.

Now I'll shut up and let you read. But be warned, if any of this reminds you of your life, if any of this makes something inside of you churn, close it and grind it up in the garbage disposal. Being a real halfblood can get you killed in a lot of nasty ways.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

My name is Andromeda Jackson. Named after the pretty, pretty princess who got chained to a rock and saved by a jerk with Medusa's head. Personally, I like to think of myself as the galaxy. It has twenty billion suns and can be seen as a smudge with the naked eye in the constellation. By the way, the constellation is three stupid stars. What a rip-off.

I'm twelve years old and actually thought I was normal for all of those years. I was attending a school for criminal kids. _Rich_ criminal kids. It was called Yancy Academy in Upstate New York, the place where you can only find Italian restaurants and rude people who try to run you off the road on a snowy day.

My real story started on a normal-ish day on a field trip in May to a museum with my Latin class. I liked museums. Call me nerdy but they had some ring to them that made me feel safer, at home. I enjoyed losing myself in history instead of trudging through the normal days of my life.

I sat on the bus with my knees almost drawn to my chest, trying to avoid the insane amount of noise. My ink black hair was covering part of my pale, heart-shaped face as I leaned against the window. My friend Grover, the guy who liked enchiladas as much as me, was sitting next to me and getting junk thrown at him by a witch named Nancy.

I lifted my sea green eyes from my book and they hesitated on her redheaded highness. I half smiled to myself and reached for my slingshot in my bag but Grover stopped me with one hand. I looked up at him accusingly and he pulled my hand up.

"Andi," he said warningly as I raised my eyebrows, "The teachers said if you get in trouble again its going on your permanent record."

"Grover, you don't understand. I swear that it's not _me _messing up my life. Everything bad just enjoys happening to Andromeda Jackson, okay?" I whispered with frustration seeping into my voice and almost glaring at my best and only friend.

His eyes saddened slightly and I examined him with narrowed eyelids. He blinked away his look and sighed.

"I believe you, I really do, but nobody else is going to," Grover said and I rolled my eyes, "Now let's try to enjoy the torture of history."

I hit him with my journal and he yelped.

"History is not torture!" I exclaimed, rolling my ring around my finger once for comfort.

History couldn't be torture with Mr. Brunner leading us. He was a cool person and probably the best teacher I had ever had. He was understanding and sympathetic and didn't often mind me misspelling names thanks to Dyslexia. He told stories and lots of jokes and let us play games in class instead of studying nonstop like the other teachers. Not to mention his collection of armor and other weapons that I wished I owned.

I looked forward at him on the bus, the top of his head and thinning dark hair showing over the blue seat. He always smelled like coffee. He was in a motorized wheelchair but he still seemed healthy and while he pushed me hard in my studies, he was a nice person and I liked him more than ever over the past little while.

"I know it's not to you, Andi. But it sure is to me," Grover grumbled and I turned away from him.

Grover was a scrawny boy who seemed a little too old to be in sixth grade. He cried when he got frustrated and was more sensitive than other boys. On top of acne and a wispy little beard he was crippled and was never in gym. I could tell it was something with his legs because he looked like every little step hurt him. I felt sorry for Grover, but he still was any easy target no matter what.

I swallowed and blinked some mascara out of my eyes that my roommate had put on me in the morning. I thought mascara was okay, but when it got in my eyes it burned worse than anything you can imagine and I absolutely hated it when tears swelled up. I tried not to cry but I couldn't help it. I was a little emotional.

Suddenly Grover was hit by a piece of sandwich and I leapt up. Grover grabbed my wrist but I stayed up, no matter what he said. I had a bit of an oppositional disorder and did not like being told what to do or stopped.

I raised a hand and smacked the kleptomaniac demon of Nancy, leaving two bloody marks of my fingernails. Her mouth fell open in shock and she dropped the sandwich onto the filthy metal floor of the school bus.

"Did you just-did you just hit me?" Nancy demanded, looking ready to kill me.

"No, you just imagined the pain and the blood on your face," I retorted and she clenched her fists, standing up as well.

Grover whimpered and cowered as I stepped forward and into the aisle. Nancy did the same.

"Well, look at the Jackson girl standing up for herself," Nancy smiled, looking embarrassed and trying to cover it up by a taunt.

"There's more where that came from-" I started to threaten but a hand was suddenly on my shoulder, pushing me aside.

"Ladies, ladies, break it up, we're here," the bus driver said gruffly, being much kinder than most of my teachers.

"Alright, sir," I replied politely, sticking my tongue out at Nancy as Grover and I walked by.

As I walked off I was given the wickedest evil eye by our other chaperone, Mrs. Dodds. I didn't know what her problem was but she was worse than every other teacher that had it out for me. I attempted to avoid her but she always seemed to be there while I walked in the hallways, watching me for any slip up I made.

She was a little stout woman from somewhere in the South, I thought Georgia, and despite being like a hundred years old she wore a leather biker jacket. She was a scary old lady and, personally, I didn't like scary old ladies. What was it about Math and English teachers? They tended to either be the nicest person ever or jerks. I always got the jerks.

I breathed in and out calmingly and walked off of the bus, jumping off of the last step and waiting for Grover to slowly follow me. We walked in a line with the others into the museum and prepared to visit the Greek exhibit. I was buzzing with excitement and Grover was looking at me like I was crazy.

We walked down hallways with loud echoes of the footsteps of my black flats, lined with glass cases filled with beautiful pottery and tapestries that had stayed around for thousands of years. It was unbelievable. The larger exhibits were just up ahead but I could linger at each one for hours.

We finally made it to the larger places, roped off paintings and gravestones and, oh, it was just unbelievable. We finally made it to a tapestry with a picture of Kronos eating little…well…baby gods.

"Do any of you know what this is?" Mr. Brunner inquired, looking around at us.

I started whispering to Grover and he grabbed my arm, holding my hand in the air. I didn't know why he did that but he still did. Eurgh, what was wrong with him today?

"Yes, Miss Jackson?" Mr. Brunner asked and I breathed in and out before answering.

"That's the Titan Lord Kronos," I said softly and he made a gesture to be louder, "Eating his kids. They were the main gods in Greek mythology. Personally, I don't like the Greeks much but I still think they're important. But his wife…erm…Rhea hid baby Zeus…uh…somewhere and gave him a rock instead. Then Zeus killed him and freed the gods by making him…vomit."

"Ew!" a few girls squealed and I blushed bright, hot red.

"And then what happened?" Mr. Brunner continued, looking pleased with my answer.

"There was a giant war. And the gods won," I explained quickly, not wanting to humiliate myself any further.

"Why does this even matter? It's not like this is going to be on our job applications someday," Nancy whispered with a laugh and I made a sniffing sound that vaguely reminded me of my annoyed cat.

"Yes, Andromeda, why don't you answer Miss Bobofits' excellent question. Why does this matter in real life?" Mr. Brunner inquired and I felt on the spot again.

I swallowed and thought about it for a moment. I was hoping he would coast over me once he caught on that I didn't know, but he refused.

"Um…because it makes a commentary…on the real things in life. I don't know, sir," I said after my wild guess, brushing my jet black hair over my face so no one could see me blushing.

"Half credit, Miss Jackson," he stated with a faint smile with almost white but slightly stained teeth as he began to explain the rest I didn't explain about Kronos eating his children.

He said it was lunch and we all slowly moved away, drifting along the hallway. Grover was walking next to me with a faint smile, almost laughing. I didn't know why and I didn't bother to ask. I started chewing on my nails absentmindedly and he pulled my nails away from my face.

We were about to follow when Mr. Brunner wheeled up behind me. I spun around on my heel and my grey skirt flounced up in the rush of air generated from the motion. He paused a moment and looked straight at me with his dark eyes.

They were thousand year old eyes, like they had been around forever.

"Andromeda, you need to think about my question," he said and I raised an eyebrow.

"What question?" I asked and he swallowed.

"How this applies to real life. _Your_ life," he replied and I shook my head.

"I don't think it does," I said slowly, feeling bad talking like that to a teacher but I just didn't think it did.

"What you learn from me is the most important thing you will learn in your life," Mr. Brunner said earnestly, "I expect you to treat it that way. You're a smart girl and while you don't like the Greeks, you must learn and I will only accept the best from you."

"I see," I said softly and he nodded, wheeling forward and leading Grover and I outside.

We walked outside into the spring air, moist and heavy, thick with the humidity of coming summer. I loved spring and hated spring at the same time. It was a nice season of rebirth and life but it also had the worst sort of weather. I was thankful I had straight hair or else I would be as frizzy as Kelly Kaleen, not that I cared much about hair.

I sank slowly to the bricks lining the grass on the stairs, holding my lunch in my hand. I blinked and fixed my gaze on the pavement, watching the little ants scurry about and the grass try to push its way up through the stone above it.

Grover sat down next to me.

"Are you okay, Andi?" he said softly and I nodded, setting my elbow on my knee and my head in my hand.

"Yeah," I replied cautiously, looking up at the sky.

A giant storm was brewing up there, the clouds collecting. I stared at them for a while, never liking the sky much. It was strange but I almost liked it, thinking of it carefully like I always tried. My thoughts were often fast paced, but when I really sat down and focused I could. Something odd was going on, I could feel it.

The weather had been weird in New York, flash floods, lightning strikes, storms you name it. And the west coast had a rating up in earthquakes, them happening constantly then. Everything was going haywire. I would have blamed it on Global Warming but it felt like something different was going on.

No one else noticed the things I did. I mean, I could just look at the girls testing out each other's lip gloss and the boys chucking Lunchables at the poor pigeons. Grover was eating an apple quite happily along with a juice box. I was staring at the sky. Something strange…something strange.

I looked over at Grover and could swear I almost saw him take a bite out of something aluminum. It must have just been my imagination though.

I looked down at the crystalline surface of the fountain. It was beautiful and perfect, the water. I loved the way it danced in the light and the way that the water came down on it and moved it around. I was interrupted from my thoughts by Grover grabbing my arm.

"You don't look alright. You're going pale," Grover said softly and nervously, looking at me closely.

"I told you, I'm fine," I snapped and he looked down at the water.

_**Alright, the part with Nancy will have a bit of a difference from the book so I'm going to end the first chapter here. I hope you liked it and reviews are like candy without the tummy ache. **_


	2. Algebra Wants to Torture Me

I fingered my mother's necklace absentmindedly as I ignored my food, looking down into the reflective waters of the fountain with interest. The necklace was something my mother, Sally Jackson, had for years, given to her by my father, whoever he is. It was sparkly and aquamarine blue but that wasn't the reason I loved it. It was because I missed her so much when I was at school.

She was working so hard to send me to every school I had been thrown out of and I was, well, guilty. I missed her smile. I stopped thinking about her and unclasped the necklace, setting it down on my lunch bag.

"Woah, pretty," Grover commented and I smiled faintly at the compliment.

"Thanks," I replied softly, brushing my hair over my face again.

Unfortunately, Nancy caught sight of me and came prancing over. She dropped her half eaten lunch on Grover's lap, flashing a smile of crooked teeth. She looked down at the necklace I was just grabbing to put back around on my neck. She snatched it from me in a snap, holding the crystal up to the light.

"Is this real?" she asked lightly, "Well, what a surprise, the Jackson girl has some money."

I tried to stay calm and cool like the surface of a lake on a sunny day. Counselors had told me time and time again to breathe and count to ten. That wasn't working so well for me at the time, however.

"It could be fake," Nancy continued as her muddy green eyes started to sparkle, "I know, let's see if it floats."

Fury surged up inside of me like a tsunami waiting to strike as she held it over the fountain. She looked about to drop it when I jumped up in defense.

"Don't you dare," I said slowly, clenching my fists.

Nancy looked at me with her head tilted to the side. She let the necklace drop a few centimeters while holding it in her fist. My heart stopped at every notch it went down. She smiled wickedly at me and I breathed in through my eyes, trying to cool off before someone was seriously injured.

"What're you gonna do about it?" she taunted as she let it fall, opening her palm wide.

I watched it spin down with my eyes flashing wide. Before I knew it my head started to hurt and I felt icy, something different than anger surging up inside of me. A wave roared in my ears. My vision whited out a moment, to be brought back with a shriek from Nancy.

"She pushed me!" she screamed and I opened my eyes.

I was holding my perfectly dry and unharmed necklace in my hand and she was sitting in the fountain, soaked and with eyeshadow and mascara trickling down from her eyes. Grover was staring at me with his mouth hanging open in shock as I stood there, completely unaware of what happened.

"What did I-what did I do?" I inquired but no one would answer.

Suddenly, Mrs. Dodds appeared next to me. I didn't know how Old Evil got there but next thing I knew she had grabbed my arm and started pulling me away. I shoved my necklace in my pocket and swallowed, knowing this would result in several months of detention.

"No!" Grover exclaimed and she spun around with a snap to face him, "_I _pushed her, not Andi."

I had no idea why he was even trying to cover for me. He was mortally afraid of Mrs. Dodds and would do anything to avoid her.

"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," Mrs. Dodds said in a low tone, glaring at him so hard that her stubbly old lady chin trembled.

He squeaked and looked down at the pavement.

"Honey," Mrs. Dodds said, addressing me as something I would prefer not to be, "_Now_."

She said the last word with such force I felt nauseous. I looked down at Nancy and she smirked happily at my punishment. I gave her my best I-will-tear-you-a-new-belly-button-if-you-try-that-again look and her smile faded a little.

I turned back up to follow Mrs. Dodds but she wasn't there. I glanced around and found her at the museum entrance, staring straight at me in a chilling way. I could swear I saw a flash of red in her eyes but I thought I was probably just nervous. I had no clue how she got there so fast and I honestly didn't want to know.

I have moments like that a lot, professionals telling me it was ADHD. My brain would just detach itself for a moment and I would miss things, misinterpreting things as well.

I walked after her, stumbling slightly on the cracks since I wasn't the most graceful, meaning hopelessly clumsy. I meandered through the crowds and towards her but she was suddenly inside the museum. It was like I blinked and she was gone.

I hurried in after her, speed walking towards the museum gift shop and wondering what she was doing there. I was pretty certain they didn't sell old lady clothes or leather biker jackets at the tourist shop. But why was she leading me there?

I followed her deeper into the museum, my footsteps echoing on the tile floors and the exhibits seeming to close in on me. I passed a painting of poor Princess Andromeda. Her parents just _had _to insult the Nereids. Why was she always naked?

I found Mrs. Dodds again and noticed that it was entirely empty except for the two of us. It couldn't be good.

She was standing with her arms crossed menacingly in front of a large marble frieze of the gods. She was staring at the beautiful painting like she wanted to crush it with her fists and as she turned to face me; she looked at me much worse. I swallowed my fears and walked closer.

"Mrs. Dodds?" I asked, keeping my tone polite and as calm as I could.

But she only responded with a growling sound ten times that of an angered dog in the back of her throat. It was scary enough being alone with her, but the noise just plain terrified me. I touched my necklace in my sweater pocket and felt a little braver. But bravery wasn't always a good thing.

"You've been giving us a good bit of trouble, dearie," Mrs. Dodds said in that low tone that made me shiver.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," I replied, keeping it safe and polite as I tried to be.

She adjusted her leather jacket and breathed out with almost steam erupting from her nostrils.

"Did you think you could get away with it, young lady?" she continued and I swallowed, shifting my weight uncomfortably between my feet.

"I'll try harder, ma'am," I might have been going too far on the whole 'ma'am' thing but it was my feeble attempt not to get killed by this lady.

The building suddenly shook with thunder and I felt nervous. My mother's necklace touched my hand and I breathed in deeply, keeping a level head for her. Not for my father. No good man would just leave my mother to raise me on her own.

"We are not the fools you think, Andromeda Jackson," she said in her deep growl, "Confess now and suffer less pain."

What was this witch trial? What was she expecting me to confess? I tried not to do anything wrong. Maybe it was that I stole Lindsey's earrings to wear, or that I had an illegal stash of candy under my bed. Maybe I sold a few too many pieces. A girl needs a little spare change, doesn't she?

It wasn't that, though. I could sense it was something different. I could sense that something bad was going to happen.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied simply and her eyes flashed in that red way again.

"Your time is up," she said in a hiss and I moved back several steps, my ankle cracking in my shoe.

Her eyes lit up like coals on a vivid fire, staring at me like I was the perfect prey for some attack. Her fingers stretched out in a disgusting way, turning into jagged and pointed talons. Her jacket expanded into leathery wings. She had yellowed fangs growing out from her teeth that looked like they were desiring to bite me strongly. I blinked a few times to make her go away. But it didn't work.

If your evil teacher has ever turned into a monster in front of you, you know exactly how I felt. If you haven't, which I'm assuming is the case, you have no idea how scary it is.

I screamed.

As she moved towards me murderously, Mr. Brunner suddenly wheeled in behind me. He threw a pen. A _pen_.

"Andromeda, catch!" he shouted and I reached out for it, fumbling several times but managing to get it into my thin fingers.

I looked at it a moment with no idea what to do. As Mrs. Dodds lunged at me with those fangs I uncapped it. A sword was glowing in front of me, golden bronze metal, the one Mr. Brunner used on tournament day. I didn't have time to completely freak out about it as I dodged to the side, clutching the sword tightly in my hand.

It was heavy, but I managed to hold onto it. It was similar to the sticks I made into swords as a kid except, heavier, sharper, different and a lot more dangerous. So, screw sticks, this was something I had no experience in and would never be able to do.

As she scratched the side of my pale face with her talons I did the only thing I could think of, swung the sword through the air. It hit her in the side and _poof _she was exploding like a packet of flour torn open with a penknife and dumped on me from overhead.

With a shriek that could wake the dead she was gone and I was alone with the feeling that those red eyes were still watching me. I touched the cap that was pressed against my hand so tightly the skin was whiter than before against the blade and it capped the pen. I was holding a ballpoint pen in my hand and Mr. Brunner was nowhere in sight.

"Hello?" I asked into the echoes of the room.

"No one's here but us," someone whispered behind me in a tone I somehow recognized but when I spun around there was no one there.

I breathed in and out and walked back through the museum.

Kids were laughing and families were walking around through the exhibits. Groups of girls were giggling together and a few boys were drinking Slushies. But everything was in slow motion for me. I could only hear myself breathing and the beat of my own heart.

I opened the door and was welcomed by the air. It felt cleaner and less muggy than before as the light blinded me and I moved back towards the fountain. Mr. Brunner was there under his red umbrella, reading a book. He didn't look like what had happened actually happened and Grover was waiting for me just the same.

His eyes moved to the pen in my hand.

"Next time bring your own writing utensil, Miss Jackson," he said, reaching out and hand for the pen and I quickly handed to him.

He accepted it with a small smile.

"What happened?" I inquired quietly and he looked at me like I was crazy.

"Nothing at all," he replied so honestly I almost believed him.

"What about Mrs. Dodds?" I asked and he narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know who you're talking about. There isn't and has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy academy. Are you feeling alright?" Mr. Brunner said so seriously I felt uncomfortable and backed down.

"Sorry," I said and walked back over to Grover.

But I could still hear the little voice that was in my head before. That said there was no one there but us. It wasn't Mrs. Dodds. It wasn't Mr. Brunner. It had to be something else. Something much more sinister.

"Are you okay?" Grover asked and time started flowing again.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

_But we aren't._

I shivered.


	3. I Was Gone

Weird things did happen to me. All of the time. But mostly, they went away in a day or two. The twenty four seven hallucination of Mrs. Dodds existing was a little too scary. The school year was almost over and no one thought that Mrs. Dodds had ever taught at the school. They were all convinced we had only had Mrs. Kerr, this preppy and pretty blonde lady who got on the bus after the field trip. I didn't know how this was happening but I was quiet about it.

Maybe I should have believed them. I did have a lot of nightmares. I would have if it weren't for Grover. He couldn't hide things from me.

"Grover," I said softly and he looked up at me brightly, "Mrs. Dodds _did _exist, didn't she?"

His expression changed to something blank and he was thrown off a few seconds before replying.

"Who are you talking about?" he said weakly but I knew he was lying.

Something strange was happening and something had happened at the museum that day.

And then there were the voices. I was going crazy too, I knew it. I kept hearing a little voice in my head, following me around. It was scary. Every time I slept I dreamt about fire and lightning in the ocean, burning and melting me until I woke up almost screaming.

It was making Tanya, my roommate, crazy. She kept asking me what was wrong and I didn't know what to say. I couldn't be insane. I just couldn't be.

But sane people don't hear voices.

I looked out the window with my textbook open on my lap. The freak weather was continuing, something happening up in the clouds. The tides were supposedly rising in New York City with no explanation. Maybe that was where my dreams were coming from. Something below and something above.

I shook my head with a swish of ink black hair. I was looking too hard for things. Stupid fantasy books.

But planes were even going down. That had to mean something.

I turned my attention back to the math but I was certain that Dyslexia came with Dyscalculia because the numbers looked like they were written in Chinese. Shutting the book with a slam, I stood up and tossed it onto my bed.

Tanya was out at the mall on a boarding school arranged shopping trip and I was alone in my dorm. I swallowed, knowing I was in a school but still feeling nervous.

I was slipping. My grades were turning from Cs to Fs except for History, where I somehow managed to keep a B. I was seeing things, little lights and changes in the world. And then there were the voices. The little one that kept bothering me.

I was a nutcase.

I finally snapped in English. I hated English class and my teacher was a terrible old man who always shouted at me when I messed up. Heaven's sake, I kept mixing up the letters on the spelling test! I called him, well, an old sot, which is old English for old drunkard. He was angry. Seriously angry.

A letter was sent home to my mom the following week that I wouldn't be accepted back to Yancy Academy again. I could see her face when she read it. She would be so upset and there was nothing I could do about it.

But I wanted to be with her again in our little apartment on the Upper East Side. Even if it meant I had to go to public school and put up with my terrible stepfather and his poker parties. I missed her and I missed home and I hated Yancy.

I didn't hate Grover, though. He was one of my only friends. And I didn't hate Latin class with Mr. Brunner. I would miss that so much.

The evening before my final I was staring at Greek Mythology textbooks blankly. It was boring and the letters and Dyslexia and eurgh, I was annoyed. I didn't care one bit about Greek Gods, it wasn't like I was going to need to know who Poseidon last zapped in life. Anyway, I was never going to be able to recall the difference between Chiron and Charon. And conjugating Latin verbs? I was dead.

I turned the page and started to read about the Titans. It was still boring. I wish I could have taken French. French would be nice. They're lovable in all ways, plus they go on a field trip to France. I was dumb.

I then remembered Mr. Brunner's overly aged eyes telling me he would only accept the best. I didn't have the best.

_Or do you?_

"No! I don't!" I shouted at the voice in my head.

_Don't argue, Andromeda Cassiopeia Jackson. Your time will come._

"SHUT UP!" I shrieked and the voice went away.

I looked down at the pages of the textbook and read a few lines over an excruciatingly long period of time. I gave up. I would just have to apologize to Mr. Brunner about the big red F I was going to get on the exam tomorrow and tell him I wasn't as bright as he thought.

I walked out of my room and down the stairs, heading through the almost deserted hallways and towards Mr. Brunner's office. About four inches from the door I could hear voices inside.

I didn't believe in eavesdropping but it was Grover talking to him. And they were talking about me.

"…her alone this summer. I mean, I Kindly One in the _school_," Grover said quietly, "She's attracting too much attention."

"We would make matters worse by rushing her. She's better off not knowing," Mr. Brunner replied and I could hear the calm expression in his voice, "She needs to mature more first."

"But the summer solstice deadline-"

"Will be resolved without her. Let her enjoy her ignorance while she can," Mr. Brunner said sternly.

"But, sir, she _saw _her," Grover said desperately and I was stuck wondering about what exactly I was ignorant about.

The summer solstice? Kindly One? I was confused on a number of levels.

"Her imagination," Mr. Brunner stated, "The Mist over the students and staff is enough to keep her thinking like that. She's stopped asking."

"I can't fail again," Grover choked, voice emotional as could be, "It can't happen to another."

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly, "I should have seen her for what she was. For now let's just worry about keeping Andromeda alive until next fall."

I noticed I was still holding the Mythology book as it dropped to the floor with a thud. I looked down at the pages pressed against the dirty tiles and the cover almost snapped. I didn't bother to pick it up, thinking too much about keeping me alive. I ran.

_See, Andromeda, this is what we were talking about._

"Please stop it," I whispered tearfully.

_Oh, Andi, don't worry. We will always be there for you._

"Stop," I repeated.

_Sleep now. You have a long day tomorrow._

I found myself lying down on my bed with my eyes closed. Listening to voices is not a good idea. But I fell asleep slowly.

I waded slowly into the ocean, lightning blasting and thunder roaring around me.

"Andi, wait!" someone called after me, a boy.

I blinked back tears and kept going, neck deep in water.

"I'm sorry!" I said, but the salty water started flooding between my lips and down into my body.

I was drowning but not as my head went under the water and I closed my eyes.

Suddenly, the lightning struck and I lost my breath. My body hurt. I melted.

I was gone

_**Please tell me if I made any mistakes because I wrote this in fifteen minutes on Write or Die, so it might have some grammar issues. I looked over it but it's not perfect. So, yeah, I love the reviews!**_


	4. Socks of Death

On the last day of term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase frustratedly. It was just another school flying behind me on the road of life, but it still hurt to be thrown out again. And I was just going home forever.

The other girls were all chatting about their vacation plans on cruises or in Hawaii, leaving me feeling completely left out. They were juvenile delinquents, like I was supposedly, but they were _rich _delinquents, whose parents were executives, government officers and celebrities. I was a little nobody from a family of nobodies.

Finally, Tanya asked me where I was going. I just said I was headed back to the city. She nodded about the theatre district and shopping, going on forever, the turned back to her video game.

The only person I dreaded with all my heart saying goodbye to was Grover. He was my best friend and I didn't know what I would do without him. But it turned out that I didn't have to. He had booked a ticket on the same bus to New York City that I did. I was…happy…I guessed…but after hearing his conversation it felt awkward.

_Not awkward at all. You know he knows something._

"I told you to shut up!" I exclaimed without thinking and looked around and was thankful to see that no one was watching, they were too busy heading home.

"Hey, Grover," I said hesitantly, sitting down next to him on the surprisingly comfortable seats.

"H-hi, Andi," he replied, smiling weakly.

I pulled out my book again and went about reading, though it took forever, and letting Grover do nothing but glance around nervously.

During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing around nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I always thought he was afraid of a street fight or something. But there couldn't be a street fight on the Greyhound.

Finally, I just couldn't stand it anymore.

"Looking for Kindly Ones?" I said, crossing my legs as he nearly jumped out of his seat.

"Wha-what do you mean?"

I sighed, feeling guilty. I swallowed and looked up at him.

"I heard you talking to Mr. Brunner the other day," I explained, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I couldn't help it."

"How much did you hear?" he asked, his eye twitching.

"Oh…not much," I said, half lying and not continuing.

He winced. "Look, Andi…I was just worried for you, see? I mean hallucinating about demon math teachers…"

"Grover-"

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or somethin, because there's no such person as Mrs. Dodds and-"

"Grover, you're a terrible liar," I snapped and he sighed.

His ears turned pink. I didn't mean to shout like that but he was being annoying. From his shirt pocket, he pulled out a grubby business card.

"Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer," Grover said, pressing it into my hand.

_Listen to the boy…_

I silently willed my head to be quiet and opened my fingers around the card. It was in fancy script , which killed dyslexic eyes, but I finally made something out like:

_**Grover Underwood**_

_Keeper_

_Halfblood Hill_

_Long Island, New York_

_(800) 009-0009_

"What's Half-"

"Don't say it out loud!" Grover yelped and I cringed, "That's my…um…summer address."

My heart sank at the thought that Grover had a summer home. I had never thought about the idea that his family might be just as rich as everyone else at Yancy. I guessed I had always imagined he was more like me.

"Okay," I said greyly, "So, if I want to come visit your mansion I can."

"Or…if you need me," he repeated, dark eyes widening and nodding.

"Why would I need you?" I asked, coming out much harsher than I meant to.

Grover blushed all the way down his neck. His eyes looked bleary with tears and suddenly so did mine.

"Look, Andi, the truth is, I have-I-kind of-I have to protect you," he said, seeming careful with his words and unsure what he was saying.

I stared at him. All year long he had done nothing to protect me. He was the one getting beaten up. I couldn't help him much, not being that strong, but he could honestly think about the fact that he couldn't protect himself.

"Grover," I said slowly, setting my book down and letting my silver painted nails slide over the glossy cover, "what exactly are you protecting me from?"

I was unanswered when there was a grinding noise under our feet and the bus lunged to the side. Black smoke erupted from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with the stench of rotten eggs. The driver cursed loudly and the bus was crashed.

After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment the driver announced that we would have to get off. I was grateful. Grover and I filed outside with everyone else.

We were on a stretch of country road. The ground was dusty like the streets in Montana and maple trees surrounded us. Trash was strewn around from passing cars. On the other side of the road, across the black pavement shimmering with afternoon heat was a fruit stand.

The sale items looked excellent: the fruit, heaping boxes of blood red cherries ready to burst with flavor, red apples that sparkled in the sun, walnuts and apricots looking dry but delicious and jugs of cider in a claw foot tub filled with slowly melting ice. I was hungry and thirsty immediately. But no customers were there,, only three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the largest pair of socks I'd ever seen.

The socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. Two of them were knitting and the lady in the center was holding electric blue yarn.

All three of them looked ancient, though I knew that was rude. They had pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather but aged wisely. Their silver hair was tied back in white bandanas and their bony arms stuck out of bleached cotton dresses.

The strangest thing was that they were looking at me.

_Your time is running out, Andromeda Jackson._

'What?' I thought.

_The clock of ages is slowly ticking away, each one nearing the end of your heartbeat._

'Wait, wait, wait' I thought, ready for a question but Grover cut me off.

"Tell me they're not looking out you. They aren't, are they?" he said nervously, his face drained of blood.

"Yeah, weird, huh? Do you think those socks would fit me," I tried to smile but Grover shook his head slowly.

"Not funny," he breathed, "Definitely not funny."

The old woman in the middle took out a huge pair of gold and silver shears and her eyes turned to the string. I hear Grover's breath catch.

"We're getting on the bus, come on," he said quickly, grabbing my arm.

"What? Why?" I asked softly, lowering my voice as though there was some danger.

"Come _on_!" he repeated, prying open the bus door and pulling me into the thousand degree space.

I moved towards the window and saw that the old ladies were still watching me. The middle on cut the yarn and I hear the _snip _the whole way across and through the sides of the bus.

At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a huge chunk of smoking metal from the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, shaking me slightly, and the engine roared back to life.

The passengers cheered and I slid back into Grover and my seats.

Everyone climbed back on board and we took off again.

Grover was looking nervous, more than nervous, actually, absolutely horrified. I touched his arm and he turned to face me with a snap.

"What's wrong?" I asked and Grover swallowed, "What are you not telling me?"

He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve and looked at me closely.

"The middle one took her scissors and cut the string of the socks," I said slowly and his eye widened.

His expression was difficult to read but he looked as though the fruit stand ladies were worse than Mrs. Dodds. He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that was almost like crossing himself, but something new. No, not new, something older. Much older.

"You saw her snip the cord?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yes," I said softly, sensing it was a big deal and not bothering to stay calm.

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled, chewing on his thumb, "This is so not happening. I don't want this to be like last time."

"What last time?" I inquired, both intrigued and confused.

"Always sixth grade, they never get past sixth," he continued, talking to himself.

"Grover," I said shakily as he was starting to scare me, "What are you talking about?"

"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me."

"Does that mean I'll die?" I asked, not knowing what was coming out my mouth, but knowing what the voice said meant something.

"Promise me."

"Grover," I said but there was no answer.

He only looked at me mournfully, like he was already deciding what kind of flower to put on my grave.

_**Sorry it took so long to update. I lost my Lightning Thief copy but finally found it today. Many apologies, I'll try to update more often. I hope you liked it. Bye!**_


	5. Seven Layer Dip

Okay, I'll admit it. I ditched Grover as soon as we got off the bus. Please don't hate me, I know he's my best friend, but the whole death thing was really freaking me out. I didn't like the idea of dying. I didn't like him talking about 'Kindly Ones' I just didn't like it anymore. I vowed I would call him as soon as I got home.

Whenever Grover was upset he had to slip away to the bathroom, so it was my perfect chance. As soon as he went inside I grabbed my bags and started to walk down the street.

I was a little afraid by the daunting task of getting a taxi. More confession time: I'm a bit of a wimp about people. I mean, I would have to _talk _to him. I always said compulsive things do to the ADHD and I absolutely loathed running out into the street to call them. And there were always the creepers with guns and stuff.

I paused in the street and a kid tripped over me as I was deciding whether I should just walk the ten blocks or call a cab.

"Sorry," I said softly as he glared at me, running down the street after his parents.

I finally walked out to a taxi parked and reached into my purse for money. Slipping into the door I paused and found it was a rather nice looking woman. She was old, but not Mrs. Dodds or creepy fruit lady old.

"East one-hundred-and-first and First," I told the driver, handing her the money and staring out the window as the city rushed by.

I started to think about my mother for a moment.

Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the whole entire world, which proves my theory that bad things always happen to good people. Honestly, it's true. Everything bad happens to me, my mom and all of those other great people out there.

Her parents died in a plane crash when she was five and she was raised by a reclusive uncle who could care less about her. She had a dream of being a novelist, so she spend all of high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative writing program. Then, her uncle got cancer and she quit her senior year to take care of him. After he died she had no money, no family, and no diploma.

Me, all I really want to be is an Ancient Civ. Professor. It just seems like the perfect job. I'll have to work double hard with this darn Dyslexia and ADHD but I think I can do it. Possibly. Maybe. Only my mother ever said I could. It hurt to hear that, but I wouldn't give up on that dream.

The only good thing that happened to her was meeting my dad. But I hate him with all of my heart. She loved him, but he still left her as soon as she had me to go out to sea. He never came back for her. She said he died, but I knew he didn't. I knew he left her.

They weren't married. Their relationship was secret. I honestly didn't care about the story. I remember the face…but I can't recall the name. The faintest memory of his smile. That was it. And the necklace he gave my mother.

She worked double hard at jobs and night school to take care of me and get a diploma. She never complained or got mad. I knew I wasn't easy to take care of, no matter how hard a tried. But she always loved me and cared for me.

And then she married Gabe Ugliano. He was nice for the few first seconds we knew him and then he became a total jerk. The jerkiest jerk there ever was, the enemy of all of us here in Oz. Sorry, couldn't resist.

He also happened to reek like garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts and half covered by disgusting cologne.

Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty difficult. There was the way Gabe treated her, the way we got along…well…you get it. It wasn't the easy life.

***

I walked into our tiny apartment cautiously, the door creaking as I opened it. I hoped my mom would be back from work already. Instead, Gabe was in the living room having a poker party. I sighed, buttoning up my sweater quickly.

The television was playing ESPN much too loudly and chips and beer cans were strewn all over the previously clean carpet.

Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So _you're _home."

"Where's my mom?" I asked, walking a little further.

"Working," he replied, putting out his cigar and setting it down as he looked up at me, "You got any cash?"

I rolled my sea green eyes.

"I saw that," he snapped and I set down my bag, relieving the pain in my fingers, the blood loss in my arm and the ache in my shoulder.

That was it. Never a 'Welcome home' or 'How've you been for the past sixth months'. I looked at him as I prepared to lie.

"I don't have any," I said and he narrowed his eyes as though he could see through my pockets, sniffing out the money like a student loan officer mixed with a blood hound.

Gabe had put on weight, then looking like a tusk-less walrus in his thrift store clothes. How terrible.

"How's the mega-mart?" I asked, trying to veer the subject away to his work.

He laughed.

"I'm hardly in there. They can't fire the manager, can they?" he said and he was right.

He just collected paychecks to buy beer and cigars, expecting me to pay his poker funds and serve drinks to his creepy friends. He called it 'our secret' meaning if I told my mom he would punch my lights out.

"Cash?" he repeated as I failed, holding out his hand expectantly.

"I don't have any," I said, crossing my arms and going against my nature to be defiant.

He raised a greasy eyebrow and examined me. I just kept the glare on him before I had to look away.

"You took a taxi from the bus station," he said, "Probably paid twenty dollars. Five or six in change. Hand it over, girl."

"Fine," I gave in easily as usual, pulling a wad of dollars out of my pocket and handing them over.

I walked to my room and slammed the door behind me, taking out fury on inanimate objects. It wasn't truly my room, it was Gabe's study during the school year, as if he would use it aside from filled it with the stench of cologne, cigars and stale beer. I looked at the mud from his boots on my windowsill and made a mental note to clean it later.

I dropped my suitcase and dropped onto the bed, spreading myself out on the blue blankets. I was home, far off from the troubles of the real world.

_Home sweet home, Andi_

"Shut the hell up!" I snapped, not meaning to swear but getting tired of the voice.

It was worse than Gabe's smell. And almost worse than the nightmares about dying by, fire, lightning or drowning. Mrs. Dodds was still on my mind and the sound of the string snipping at the fruit stand was still echoing through my head non-stop.

_You're too weak, Andi, you know it_

"I said shut up!" I repeated, thinking I had a worse personality disorder than Gollum and Boromir put together.

_Time is ticking away until your death. You must accept that there are things that cannot be. And you cannot be._

I breathed in sharply and sat up, hugging my knees to my chest.

"Andi?" I heard my mother's voice and perked up, smiling at her return.

She opened the bedroom door and closed it with a snap, her face making my fears melt away like ice cream on sizzling asphalt.

Everything felt better when I was around my mother. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is a warm as fleece blankets and hot chocolate. There are a few sparse grey streaks in her long brown hair that covers her face a little, but I don't think I ever thought of her as old. When she looks at me she sees good qualities, not bad. I never heard her raise her voice or say anything unkind to anyone before, not even Gabe.

"Oh, Andi!" She hugged me tightly, holding me in a warm embrace that smelled like candy, "I can't believe I'm seeing you again. You've grown since Christmas!"

Her red, white and blue Sweet on America uniform was still on. She worked at a candy shop at Grand Central Station. She handed me a bag of 'free samples' the way she always did when she was home.

We sat down together on the bed as she braided my ink black hair while I ate the blueberry sour strings. She demanded to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She didn't breathe a word about me getting expelled from Yancy. She didn't seem to care about that. All she appeared to want to know was that her little girl was alright. I loved that about her.

I told her with a faint smile that she was smothering me and she let go a little, though I knew I was grateful to see her.

From the other room Gabe suddenly yelled, "Hey, Sally, how about some bean dip, huh?"

I clenched my jaw tightly as I thought of the way he treated us. It was disgusting.

My mom should be married to a kind millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe. But it was something I couldn't change.

For her sake, I kept upbeat and light about the last days at Yancy Academy. I knew as long as I smiled, didn't believe and coasted over the rough parts I would be okay. I told her I wasn't sad about the expulsion and she told me it was a good thing I had lasted the whole year this time.

"I've done pretty well in Latin and History," I added and she smiled at me.

"I knew you would," she said and I narrowed my eyes.

"What?" I inquired but she just shook her head kindly.

But suddenly I started choking and blinking, my nose tingling with tears about Grover and Mr. Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofits and Tanya didn't sound so bad. Until that trip to the museum…

"What?" my mother breathed, touching my hand with hers, "You're not okay."

"No, mom," I replied, lying quite well.

I wanted to tell her, but I knew she wouldn't believe me.

She pursed her lips, obviously knowing I was hiding something. She didn't push me, it being her nature to leave people alone.

"I have a surprise for you," she said, a smile creeping onto her heart shaped face, "We're going to the beach."

My eyes lit up and I spun around, almost ruining my braids.

"Montauk?" I breathed in disbelief.

"Three nights-same cabin," she replied.

"When?"

She smiled, "As soon as I get changed."

I was incredulous. We hadn't been there in two summers, as Gabe had said we didn't have enough money. Maybe if he didn't spend it all we would have more…

"Bean dip, Sally, did you hear me?" Gabe growled as he appeared in the doorway.

I wanted to beat him up, even though I knew I couldn't. I met my mom's blue eyed and I understood the deal. She would take me if I was nice too Gabe for a little while. I thought I could until she was ready leave for Montauk, as long as I kept thinking about getting out of there.

"I was on my way, honey," my mom said softly and sweeter than the candy I was eating, "We were just talking about the trip."

Gabe's eyes became small.

"The trip? You were serious about that?" he demanded, looking quite angry.

"I knew it," I mumbled, "He won't let us go."

"Of course he will," my mom said evenly, "Your stepfather is just worried about is just worried about money. That's all. Besides," she added, "Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole, sour cream, the works."

Gabe softened a bit.

"So this money for your trip…it comes out of your clothes budget, right?" he asked.

"Yes, honey," my mother said kindly.

As if she had a clothes fund.

"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back?" he continued.

"We'll be very careful," my mother replied.

Gabe scratched his double chin.

"Maybe if you hurry with the seven layer dip…And maybe if the girl apologizes for interrupting my poker game."

Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot and make you sing soprano for a week?

My mom silently warned me not to make him mad.

_Don't risk is, Andi, don't risk it._

I clenched my fists at the voice, wanting to beat it from my head but knowing I couldn't. As usual.

Why did she put up with him? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought? It didn't make any sense to me at all.

"I'm sorry," I said almost sarcastically, "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now."

Gabe's eyes narrowed as though he was still trying to sort out the sarcasm in my statement. There's a brain with only about three connections running it.

"Yeah, whatever," he decided, walking out the door and slamming the door behind him.

"Thank you, Andi," my mom said, turning to lift my chin towards her, "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about…whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"

For a moment she looked like Grover. The same concerned and almost confused light in her eyes. As though she knew something dangerous about me. As though she felt an bitter and icy chll in the warm summer air.

But her smile swiftly returned and I almost thought I had been mistake. She finished tying my braid and went to make Gabe his seven layer dip.

_You are not mistaken._

"You're mistaken to keep talking to me," I hissed.


	6. Grover Loses His Pants

An hour later, we were finally ready to leave. I honestly couldn't wait to get as far away from that house as I could, being better off without everything behind that door. I guess I shouldn't be complaining so much; I did have a better life than a lot of people, but I was pretty unhappy.

Gabe took a little break from his never-ending poker game and made me drag my bags to the car. It really hurts to carry all of those bags, but I still managed to do it. I hated heavy things; I could hardly carry a backpack.

I climbed in the car, took one glance at Gabe, and told my mom to step on it.

We took off down the street until we hit traffic of city cars and I was stuck leaning against my seat while being drenched by sun. I closed my eyes and tried to think of something other than the past events that were killing me.

_Are you afraid, Andi?_

I opened my mouth to tell the voice to just shut up and run or swim or do whatever it can do to go away but looked over at my mother and realized how insane I would look to her. I breathed out sharply like a dragon torching a little village and attempted to ignore it.

_There's a lot to be afraid of out there. Things you can't even imagine._

_ I'm ignoring you_, I thought, hoping that would make it go away.

_I'm leaving_

_Good_, I replied and the voice slowly faded in a way that made my head hurt.

I suppose I have to explain where we were going, the safe haven we were rushing off to. We had a beach house in Montauk, a pretty pastel home that was almost entirely sunken into the dunes. Sure, there was sand between the sheets that made me itchy and spiders in all of the closets and my clothes, but I still loved it with all of my beating heart. When the mist of the ocean washed against the windows, it made everything better.

We had been going there since I was a little baby, and my mom for even longer. It was special to me, sure, but it was more important to her, as it was where she met my dad. The dad I knew she was lying about leaving us for good. She still seemed to love him.

The closer we got, the happier she became. Her lips twitched with smiles as I talked, the lines on her face disappeared with every mile, and her eyes turned the color of the sea. It made everything even more perfect.

We got there at sunset, everything there absolutely serene. The most amazing place in the whole world.

I ran out of the car, kicking off my shoes about a foot into the air and ran inside, breathing in the sand that made me half cough, half laugh. I tried to open the windows, but failed miserably, falling back into the shadows of the house.

My mom went through her usual cleaning routine as I fell on my back on the cold quilt of my bed, running my arms and hands back and forth on the soft and icy surface. I closed my eyes and slipped away from the world for a few minutes, feeling like everything would be okay, no matter what happened.

My mom called for me and we walked on the beach. We fed seagulls blue tortilla chips and ate blue jelly beans, blue taffies and all kinds of other samples my mom brought from her job.

I should probably explain the blue food, huh?

It all started when Gabe said there was no such thing as blue food. So, my mom decided to go out of her way to make and eat blue food. She made blue birthday cakes for me or bought only blue corn chips and blue candy. She did have a rebellious streak. She did have strength to stand up a little to Gabe.

When it got dark, we made a fire, the crackling heartbeat of Montauk in the waves of flames that burned my eyes and warmed my skin. Mom told me stories about when she was kid, before her parents died in the plane crash, when her life worked out joyously. She told me all of her books ideas that she wanted to write once she was done with the candy shop.

I thought that secretly she knew she wouldn't. But I believed that she could.

"Mom," I whispered as she put another marshmallow in the fire, "What was dad like?"

She looked shocked for a moment. I had never asked before and she had never seemed willing to answer before. My mom closed her eyes a moment, breathing in the bitter night air washed with sea spray. She looked at me closely for a few heartbeats before answering a question that had always been silent.

"He was kind, Andi," she said softly and for a second I thought that was all I would get, "Tall, handsome and powerful…But gentle too. You have his black hair…and his green eyes."

The gravid silence that followed almost killed me, wounding my heart with the thought that I had upset my mother.

My mom pulled a blue jelly bean out of the almost empty bag, her fingers scraping against the bottom. She looked at me closely and smiled slightly, a wistful look in her eyes. I said nothing, not wanting to ruin her perfect moment.

"I wish he could see you. He would be so…" Her voice cracked and she breathed in deeply, "Proud of you. So proud."

I wondered strongly how she could say that. I was a wimpy, hyperactive, dyslexic girl with a D plus report card and a record. Then the fact that I could never live up to other people's expectations. I just didn't get it. But her love was good enough to fill my wandering mind with a little bit of hope for myself.

"How old was I," I said without meaning to, "When he left, I mean."

She watched the flames blankly, "I was only with him one summer."

I didn't know what to say. I had always thought that he was with us for a little while. I could remember bits of him. A voice like the ocean waves, a warm glow of fire on the beachside, feelings, just feelings. I resented him, but I also thought that he might have been there once.

That thought died quickly.

"I thought-I thought he knew me as a baby," I replied softly, unsure how to get my thoughts out into the air.

"He didn't," my mom whispered, touching my hair, "He knew I was expecting a baby, but he left before he could see you. Before he could see my beautiful little girl."

I couldn't smile at the compliment. It felt empty as I realized he left her pregnant. Even worse. He left us with no one but Gabe. I just, I just-I snapped a driftwood twig in my fingers and felt the motion of anger transferring from my body into the dying object.

_Are you angry, Andi?_

_ Shut up_, I retorted, _You have nothing to do with me._

_ Yes, I do, you _know _I do._

I shook my head and surprised my mom, but I still didn't answer her. She leaned away from me and pulled a marshmallow out of the fire, popping it into her mouth and chewing on it. I looked away.

"Are you going to send me away again? To another boarding school?" I asked, watching her expression fall.

"I don't know honey." Her voice was heavy and undecided, "I think…I think we have to do something. I just don't know what."

"I probably should be," I said darkly, "I deserve it."

My mom's eyes lit and her mouth fell slightly open in her sympathy. She reached over to me, sliding closer and held me in her arms, my body reluctant to even be closer to her.

"I know that you don't want me around." Was I saying that to hurt her, to hurt myself or was I honest? I didn't know what I meant, but it felt right to say.

My mom's eyes started to glitter with tears. She took my hand and held it tightly. I was about to slip my fingers away, but instead tightened my own grip.

"Oh, Andi, no. I just have to send you," she whispered close to me, her hair tickling my neck uncomfortably.

As everyone said, it was best for me.

"Because I'm different?" I asked, standing up and letting her fingers slowly slide away from me.

I started to walk away before stopping. I knew I couldn't leave, but I also knew I had to. Why was my life so confusing?

"You said that like it's a bad thing. It's not always terrible to be different. I thought Yancy Academy would make you safe…unfortunately…it wasn't," my mother whispered and my eyes flashed.

I spun around to face her, uncrossing my defiant arms.

"Safe from _what_?"

She met my eyes and a flood of memories returned behind mine. It all was starting to make a little sense.

When I was in preschool, the teacher laid me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had somehow slithered into. My mom screamed as she came in and saw me holding a snake that I had strangled with only the strength of a toddler.

When I was in kindergarten, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me in the playground, watching me with what I believed was one big eye in the center of his forehead. No one believed me on that, but when they threatened to call the police he walked away, growling.

In second grade, I thought I saw shadows in the woods outside of the window. I wandered out there and thought I saw a monster. No one believed that either, as they carried me inside and called my mom, me screaming and crying.

In every single school I had ever been in for my whole life, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I had to move each time.

I wished I could've told my mom about the ladies at the fruit stand, or slashing my math teacher into dust with a pen. But I knew whatever I said would end our trip to Montauk and I didn't want to leave.

"I've tried to keep you close," my mother said softly and almost with regret, "They told me it was a mistake. Your father wanted me to send you away…But I just can't stand to do it."

"Wait-what did my father want? Some special school? Where does he come in? What? Just tell me!"

"A summer camp. But…I didn't want to say goodbye forever." My mom looked at me with a strange light in her eyes that I couldn't explain.

I stepped slightly closer, my head spinning with the new information.

"It couldn't be forever. It's only a summer camp," I said, though I knew it meant something else.

"I'm sorry, Andi. I can't talk about this, let's go inside." My mom stood me up quickly, taking my arm and walking back to the cabin, leaving the fire burning in the sand, slowly dying down with my hope of knowledge.

***

I had another crazy dream that night.

The beach was in the middle of a thunderstorm, the clouds grey as could be and lightning flashing with violent bursts of light that were like camera flashes of death. A white horse and a golden eagle, as beautiful as could be, were clawing at each other, trying to bring each other to death. They kept at their death attempts as I stood down on the beach, sinking into the sand slowly, though my screams were soundless.

The horse reared and the eagle slashed it with its talons as a voice below rumbled with laughter, shaking my body and urging them to fight more.

I pulled myself out of the sand slowly, stumbling to my feet as I ran towards them, trying to make them stop. I would be too late, I was too slow. The eagle brought up and was about to finish its blow on the horse as I dove forward.

The water started to drag me down as I screamed and pleaded for them to stop.

"No!" I shrieked.

I woke up with a start, sweating cold through my clothes. I leaned over slightly, catching my breath. The dreams were tiring, killing me, I didn't understand them. I shook my head and tuned my senses into the world.

Outside it was truly thundering and storming, the kind that brings down houses in its power. Neither a horse or an eagle were on the beach, in fact, nothing was on the beach. Twenty foot waves were pounding the land like artillery and the lightning was creating false daylight, it was so powerful.

"What a storm," I whispered, pulling my blue nightgown down lower around my legs.

With the next thunderclap, my mom woke up in the bed across from me, sitting straight up. She sat up with her eyes wide.

"Hurricane," she said, leaping out of bed.

"What? Long Island doesn't have hurricanes this early in summer! What are you talking about?" I climbed out of bed, pulling down my nightgown again.

I knew that was insane. It couldn't happen, but nature seemed to have forgotten as the storm pounded outside with all of its might.

But there was a closer sound; thuds like mallets pounding against the sand, someone screaming and pounding on the door. The voice was familiar as it shouted for us to open the heavy wood door.

My mother sprang out of bed and unlatched the door, opening it wide.

Grover stood outside of the door, dripping wet and terrified.

"G-Grover?" I asked, looking at him with my mouth slightly open in disbelief.

"Searching all night. Where were you?" he breathed, coughing in the rain.

"Grover?" I repeated and my mom pushed me aside, looking horrified, not of Grover, but of why he was coming.

"Andi," my mom said over the downpour, "What didn't you tell me?"

I was too frozen to answer, not able to believe what I was seeing.

"_Oi Zeu kai allloi theoi_!" he exclaimed, "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"

I couldn't comprehend that Grover had cursed in Ancient Greek, and I had understood him. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten there in the middle of the night. Because he didn't have his pants on…and where his legs should be…were the legs of a _goat_.

My mom looked at me sternly and used a tone I had never heard before.

"Andi, tell me _now_!" she shouted, her eyes flickering with a demanding nature.

I stammered a reply about the old ladies at the fruit stand and Mrs. Dodds, and everything I had been holding back but the voice. My mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the claps of thunder and flashes of lightning.

She grabbed her purse, handed me my black rain jacket and said," Get in the car! _Now_!"

I did exactly as she told me as I noticed that Grover wasn't really running, he was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly the story about his muscular leg disease made sense to me. Because where Grover's feet should've been, were cloven _hooves_.

_**Okay, that's the end of that chapter. I hope you liked it. If you did, there's a contest by the Veritas, and this was nominated. If you go to www(dot)fanmortals(dot)webs(dot)com, you can vote for it in the AU section. I would love it if you did, but you don't have to. Reviews are awesome and, well, more is coming! Bye,**_

_**~S~**_


	7. Explanations, Explanations

A/N: I'm back like _Donkey Kong 64_. This story will be totally finished! Much love!

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The night was black. So dark and overly encompassing that I felt even more faint than before. We tore down the old country roads, swerving in the shadows. Wind slammed against the Camaro. I didn't know what my mom was doing, but she just kept her foot on the gas. I was utterly perplexed, and felt kind of like I was dying.

Nothing I had had ever experienced could prepare me for this.

_Oh, Andi, _the voice cooed, _you will know soon enough_.

I didn't even try to silence him. The adolescent boy breathing into my ear all the time was enough to make me mad—but hooves—_hooves_!

At every flash of lightning, I looked over at Grover. He was shivering and I felt for him. We both were terrified, but there was no way to escape. At least I thought he knew where we were going. He smelled like a wet animal at the petting zoo. I _hated _petting zoos. The animals were so gross. I didn't tell Grover that, of course.

However, it was kind of like a hoofed elephant in the room.

"So, you and my mom... know each other?" I felt like a dumbtack.

Grover's eyes darted around. He looked like he would give anything not to tell me.

"Not exactly," he said. "We never met in person. I just knew she was watching you."

"Watching me?" I breathed, my voice becoming quite high.

I leaned in closer to him.

"Keeping tabs on you—making sure you were okay," he said.

I honestly thought he was my friend. He was my first friend. My eyes were swimming with unsightly tears, and I kind of wanted to punch someone in the face.

"I thought we were friends," I said softly.

"I _am _your friend. I always have been," he said, but I didn't know if I could believe him.

"What _are _you exactly?" I asked. "If not a friend."

"It doesn't matter? From the waist down you're a _donkey_!" I exclaimed and my mother swerved near the edge of the road.

We both screamed and Grover let out a loud and throaty, "Blahh-eeehh!"

I had heard him make that sound before, but I had just thought it was a nervous laugh. I mean, I had a nervous laugh too. But it was actually a very annoying, very sheep like bleat. My ex best friend _bleats_.

"Goat!" he exclaimed and I looked out the window.

"Where? Where's the goat?" I asked, my eyes darting around wildly.

I could see nothing through the thick downfall of rain.

"_No_, I'm the goat. From the waist down at least. There are satyrs who would trample you for that!" He seemed annoyed, but I didn't care. He shouldn't have lied to me like that.

"Woah, satyrs? Like the myths we learned about at school?" I thought I must be in a coma.

Grover looked annoyed. I averted my eyes, frustrated with him as well. He thought I was stupid _and _he lied to me. He needed a slingshot BB to the goat be_hind_.

"So _now _there's a Miss Dodds?" I demanded, crossing my arms.

"Of course," he replied and I groaned, slapping his hand.

He withdrew it with a little wince of pain.

_You believed it all along, Andi_, the voice whispered, but I was too angry to bat him away.

"So you lied about that too?" I scoffed and he sighed.

"The less you know the less monsters you attract." This was getting wilder by the second. And he said it like it should be perfectly obvious. "We shroud the humans' eyes with the Mist. We all hoped you would think the Kindly One was a hallucination—"

"Because I'm soooo stupid?" I snapped back and he made that bleating sound again out of exasperation.

"We only didn't want you to realize who you are!" He threw his hands up in the air.

"Wait—who am I?" I sounded like an amnesia patient, but I kind of had felt like one for a long while, with all this batty stuff going down.

Every little girl wishes she could be special, but most little girls don't wish for their best friend to turn out to be a _goat_. I was caught between worlds at this moment, and being tossed back and forth by the car.

The bellowing noise rose up again from the distance. I looked back and reached around for my slingshot, but it was missing from my pocket. Crud.

Whatever was chasing us was still on our tail.

"Andromeda, there's too much to explain and we're running out of time," my mother breathed, looking back at me through the rearview mirror. "We have to get you to safety."

"What safety?" I exclaimed, leaning back against the seat so fast I hit my head.

The resounding pain made me wince, and Grover reached out a sympathetic arm. I batted his hand away.

"Safety from the Lord of the Dead and his most bloodthirsty minions," Grover said casually, as though commenting on the weather.

"Grover!" my mom shouted and he sighed.

"Sorry," he said earnestly, but I didn't care. Can you drive faster please?"

He seemed as nervous as I was. I had trouble believing what they said, but it started to make sense. I was in a coma, and my brain was trying to tell me to wake up. It was the only reasonable conclusion.

My mom made such a hard left that I nearly flew out of my seatbelt. My head slammed against the window. If I wasn't in a coma yet, I was about to be in one. We raced past farmhouses, which were like horror movie settings, and a PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES sign. I didn't like strawberries.

_We're so close. So close I can almost taste it_, the voice whispered. He was getting stronger.

"So, uh, where are we close to? I mean—where are we going?" I asked and Grover opened his mouth to talk.

I silenced him with a steely glare and my mom jumped in, saying, "That summer camp I told you about. The one your father wanted you to go to."

I hated my father. I most certainly did _not _want to go to any summer camp he liked.

"You didn't want me to go there. I don't want to go there," I said fiercely and my mom looked on the verge of tears.

I then felt dreadful. I should have been nicer.

"Please, try to understand. You're in danger..." My mom trailed off, looking unable to speak.

_Please, please, just take me off of life support, _I thought.

"Because some old ladies cut yarn?" I crossed my arms so tightly that they stabbed into my flat chest.

"Those weren't old ladies—those were the fates. And they only appear when you're about to die," he said gravely, but still in his goofy voice.

"I'm gonna die? _I'm _gonna die! You said _you_!" I exclaimed and he cringed.

"I meant _someone_, okay?" He looked away from me.

My mom swerved again and I looked outside. There was nothing but rain and darkness. I felt like we were heading into a huge, empty abyss. My heart stared to race, my pulse speeding unbelievably. I licked my lips and began to chew on them.

Suddenly, I saw a huge figure behind us. My eyes focused on my mom.

"What was that?" I asked breathlessly, looking back and seeing nothing.

Then, our car exploded.


	8. Minotaurs and Apple Juice

A/N: Yes, another ten years between chapters. I can understand if everyone quit reading it. But I was flipping through my old fanfics and decided to continue this one. Well, I hope people still want to read it!

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It was like drowning.

I flew through the air, loud, struggling, swimming against air. And then, in a heartbeat, I was crushed in the mud. It splattered over me, sticking to my skin. The rain poured on me and into my nostrils. I could only lie there, afraid to move.

My mom was still in the car, her head knocked against the driver's seat. We had swerved into a ditch, but something had been caught in the wheel and sent us reeling. Grover was nowhere in sight, and I began to panic, just slightly. Slightly. Right, slightly.

"Mom!" I screamed, but she didn't move, speak or show any sign of life.

I stood up, nearly collapsing on my leg. It felt broken and I was petrified. I had broken a lot of bones before, not being the sharpest tool in the shed, but this was incredible. I sat down in the ditch, massaging it and being greeted with pain.

"Grover!" I exclaimed desperately, glancing around me. "Somebody!"

My shrieks were answered—but not by my mom or Grover. A huge beast reared its head up and my heart sank. I thought I was going to fear vomit everywhere. The sheer horror seeped into my veins as I tried to double backwards, digging at the mud with my bare hands.

It was a monster—at least seven feet tall, looking like an over-muscled freak, like the guy at Yancy who used to obsess over the gym and talk about nothing but workouts and protein drinks. No clothes but underwear—seriously, like bright white_ Fruit of the Looms—_and course brown hair covering the rest of his body.

I panicked, okay? You can't blame me for totally freaking out.

You see, I recognized the monster from pictures out of history books. Minotaurs inscribed on the walls of Grecian temples and buildings. It tempted people to find a maze in buildings made solely out of doors and patios for guests. But those things weren't real. I could believe in the Loch Ness Monster, El Chupacabra or Bigfoot—but don't make me believe in a _minotaur_.

My mom was still lying in the car, unconscious.

"Food!" I heard Grover's voice as the minotaur closed in on me. "FOOD!"

I scrambled on my hands and knees, moving towards where he might be. He was lying on roots of a tree, bruised. He looked up at me and our eyes met. I remembered how livid I was with him, but it's a bit difficult to stay mad at someone who may be dying. Especially, when there's a minotaur chasing you.

The minotaur raised the car over his head, my mom still in it. I screamed hysterically and Grover seized my wrist.

I was painfully reminded of _Jurassic Park_.

Wait... _Jurassic Park_.

"Hey! Hey! Over here!" I shrieked as Grover looked at me like I was insane. I waved my hands in the air and the minotaur sniffed in loudly. He turned and looked at me, before dropping the car. It bounced and I could recall Gabe's words—_not a scratch._

The minotaur charged at me and I jumped to the side, rolling down the hill. His razor sharp horns were aimed at my chest. I tumbled and hit back in the ditch, crawling towards my car. I opened the doors with the last of my strength as the minotaur followed me.

It lunged at me, slamming into the car. My mom stirred, beginning to wake. I whispered desperate attempts to rouse her, but the minotaur took one look at me with gleaming red eyes, and then seized my mom. I screamed and doubled back, sitting in the car with my fists out.

_Go, go... _Some unseen force started forcing me to rise, like it was tugging at me with puppet strings.

"Run, Andi!" my mom murmured as the minotaur held her. "Run!"

The minotaur held her tightly as I could only stare. The force dragged me, forcing my feet in front of the others as I looked back.

She caught my eyes and managed to choke out one last word: "Go!"

With an angry roar, the minotaur closed its fists and she disintegrated. I screamed, panicked and flailed, but the force dragged me along. I was forced to walk as it followed me, running as I struggled to return to the scene of the crime.

_See, we have a long way to go... _the voice hissed in my ear.

Anger replaced my fear at the sound of the voice. I spun around and ran back at the minotaur. It was hunched over Grover, like it would like to eat him.

I was a wimp. But I knew what I had to do.

I whipped off my red rain jacket this time and waved it in the air. The minotaur followed, charging at me like a rouge bull. I put my back against the tree, thinking I would jump out of the way a the last moment. I was never good at that during sledding season, but, hey, in times of danger we develop superpowers, right?

The minotaur charged too fast.

Time slowed down.

My legs tensed and, suddenly, I jumped forward, kicking off from its head like a springboard and landed on its neck. It smelled like rotten meat and I gagged, having dry heaves. I glanced down at Grover and remembered what I came for.

The minotaur leapt around like a rodeo bull and I clung on desperate, my hands holding tufts of its fur. It moved forward as Grover started groaning in the grass.

"Grover!" I called and the minotaur threw me off of its back. I hit the ground with a thud.

The force seized me again and I howled like an animal. I grabbed Grover's hand and dragged him as I moved backwards. The minotaur lived, growling and roaring as I was forced to march along, clutching Grover in my arms. I couldn't control my own body.

I forced myself against it, like struggling against the riptide. Then, the monster wielded its own horn, like a knife. It thrust at me and I grabbed it, holding it in front of my chest to try to protect myself. And, then, I took it and plunged it into the minotaur's furry ribcage.

Like Mrs. Dodds—he burst apart in golden light and blew away in the wind.

The rain had stopped but the storm still rumbled in the distance. I didn't even care about lightning striking again. But just as I tried to catch my breath, the invisible force grabbed me again and made me walk. It knew where to go—I had no idea.

The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch in front of a farmhouse. I looked up at a familiar-looking bearded man and a pretty girl, her blonde hair curled like a princess. They both looked down and the girl said, "She's the one. She must be."

"Silence, Annabeth," the man said. "She's still conscious. Bring her inside."

That night I dreamt of strange things. I was walking a long, narrow corridor. The voice called to me, taunting me. When I reached the end, I was face to face with a shadowy figure. A male, about sixteen. He stared, his eyes intently focused on me.

And he breathed, "You're in the snake pit, Andromeda."

His voice was that of the nightmare in my head.

When I woke, I could see the girl with the curly blonde hair hovering over me, smirking as she wiped drips off of my chin with a spoon. How humiliating. ]

When she saw my eyes open, she asked, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"

I murmured, "What?"

She looked around as if afraid someone would overhear. I had no idea what was going on, but had the strange feeling that I was in a spy film. It was all very odd—undeniably, incredibly odd.

"What's going on?" she asked, as if I had any idea. "What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks."

"I have _no _idea," I snapped and she looked mildly offended.

"Well, you should, you're the one after—" She was interrupted by someone knocking on the door.

The next time I woke up, she was gone. A husky blond guy watched over me. He looked very much like a surfer from films about California. Blue eyes—but _dozens _of them, all over his body. It made me kind of nauseous.

When I finally came to all the way, there was nothing weird about my surroundings, except they were nicer than I was used to. I was nestled in a deck chair and staring out at a meadow with green hills in the distance. It was beautiful—I wished I could describe the feeling of it better. It would only be improved by chamomile tea. There was a blanket over my knees and a pillow behind my neck. I felt like I had strep throat, and my teeth hurt dreadfully.

On the table next to me was a huge drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a little lemon in it. My hands were so weak that I almost dropped the glass when I got my fingers around it.

"Careful." I looked up to see Grover.

* * *

A/N: Well, that's that. I'm on summer break and expecting to finish this story over summer, if people still have interest in it. Also, there _will _be Percabeth (Andromabeth?) even though Annabeth is a girl. There might even be more romance, because I do enjoy romance, and it is in a girl's POV now.

Okay, definitely more romance. Andromabeth.

Please review so I can know if people are still interested in this story and I should continue!


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